Fall is my favorite time of year—it means football season is here! American football, not to be confused with soccer, has been played in this country for over a hundred years. Growing up, I spent Sundays with my dad watching my favorite team, the Chicago Bears! Get in the game and score these football titles…

The PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games begin March 8! While you're cheering on the United States Paralympic Team as they compete for the gold in up to 80 different events, celebrate the achievements of other United States Paralympians through these books. The Paralympic Games, first taking place in 1960 in Rome, were developed out of a…

Can you smell the peanuts and Cracker Jack? It's baseball season in Chicago! Test your baseball knowledge with our Cubs quiz. (We've got a quiz for each flavor of fan, so be sure to try Quiz: How Well Do You Know the Chicago White Sox?) And then learn more about the reigning World Series champions with…

How many times will you sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" this summer? Baseball helps make summer Chicago's best season. Test your baseball knowledge with our White Sox quiz. (We've got a quiz for backers of each team, so be sure to try Quiz: How Well Do You Know the Chicago Cubs?) And then pick up one…

Bullfighting is an ancient tradition, still practiced in Spain and Mexico. Hemingway was a real fan, writing Death in the Afternoon as a paean to his fascination. Of course, not everyone shares his approbation of the corrida, as a bullfight is called, and they have good arguments. Fan or foe, these are some books that deal with…

It’s almost October. The leaves are starting to turn, temperatures are dipping and Chicago has a baseball team headed to the playoffs. In 1977, a different Chicago team, the Organic Theater Company, was looking for a new play. Ensemble member Joe Mantegna had been attending his fair share of Cubs games and pitched the idea…

I've always been a huge fan of the Olympics. The ceremony, the athleticism, the romantic idea that every four years the world comes together. If you're gearing up for this year's Olympic Games in Rio, here are some top picks to check out. In The Games: A Global History Of The Olympics, David Goldblatt gives a comprehensive view of…

August 5 marks the beginning of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. As the world watches to see what wonders the opening ceremonies will bring (Past highlights include a torch lit by flaming arrow (Barcelona 1992), a dress that expanded to become a map of the world (Björk, Athens 2004) and thousands of…

All of us who walk through the doors of Chicago Public Library have one thing in common—curiosity. Each visit brings a new opportunity for discovery. Our Home of the Curious campaign features real Chicagoans and the unique ways they each use Library services and programs to ignite their curiosity—and we're hoping it inspires you to explore new…